Category: Auto Insurance

Chris Chase
Licensed Florida insurance broker · FL License #G193830 · NPN 21407586
Last reviewed October 2026

Most car insurance surprises come from rules nobody mentioned up front. These are the ones I explain most often, grouped so you can skip to what applies to you.

Your coverage

• Leased vehicles need higher limits. A lease typically requires liability limits of $100,000/$300,000 for injuries and $50,000 for property damage, well above Florida’s minimum.
• A DUI changes the required limits. Florida law requires $100,000/$300,000/$50,000 for at least three years after a DUI conviction.
• Listing a lender. Some companies require injury liability coverage on the policy before they’ll list a lender.
• Higher limits may have to be earned. Some companies only offer higher liability limits to drivers with a clean record or enough driving experience.
• Custom equipment has a low built-in limit. Wheels, stereos, wraps, and lift kits are usually covered only up to a small amount unless you add more. Keep receipts and photos.
• Gap and new-car coverage have deadlines. These often must be added within about a month of buying the car.
• Rental cars. Your own collision and comprehensive doesn’t carry over to a rental with every company.

Your vehicle

• Older cars. Many companies stop offering collision and comprehensive once a vehicle reaches a certain age, often around 20 years.
• Expensive cars. Companies set a maximum vehicle value they’ll insure for physical damage, and it varies widely.
• Rebuilt or salvage titles. Some companies offer liability only on these, and a vehicle’s title history can affect the price.
• Lifted or heavily modified vehicles. Big lift kits and very high horsepower can limit your options.
• Electric vehicles. Some companies give a discount. Others don’t accept them, or limit physical damage coverage to newer models.
• Business lettering or a business-owned title. A vehicle with advertising on it, or one titled to an LLC, may belong on a commercial policy.
• More cars than drivers. Some companies limit how many extra vehicles a household can insure.

How you use the car

• Rideshare. Driving for a rideshare company usually needs an added coverage option, and not every company offers one.
• Food and package delivery. This is commonly not covered on a personal auto policy, even where rideshare is. Tell me if you deliver.
• Using your car for work. Carrying tools to job sites or driving for work most days can change how the policy is written. Companies draw that line in different places.
• Time out of state. Florida policies generally expect you and the car to be in Florida most of the year. Snowbirds and students away at school should mention it.
• Where the car is kept. The garaging address has to be where the car actually sleeps. A business address or a different ZIP code than your mailing address can cause problems.

Claims and tickets

• Injury claims count. A Personal Injury Protection claim can affect your options even when the accident wasn’t your fault.
• Keep proof you weren’t at fault. Without a police report or a letter from the other insurance company, an accident may be treated as your fault.
• Tickets count from the day they happened, not the day you went to court.
• Towing and roadside calls can show up on your record with some companies.
• Someone else driving your car. If a person who isn’t on your policy has an accident in your car, it can land on your record.
• Your price can change after the policy starts. The Florida Department of Financial Services explains that when a driving record is confirmed after a policy is issued, the added premium can apply from the start date.

When a car is totaled

The Department of Financial Services says that when the repair estimate reaches 80% of the vehicle’s value, the insurance company declares it a total loss, and you can’t prevent that. The company pays the vehicle’s value. If you owe more than that on a loan, the difference is yours unless you have gap coverage.

Cancellations and refunds

Florida sets rules here, and the Department of Financial Services lays them out:

• An insurance company has 60 days to decide on a new applicant. After that, it has to give 45 days’ notice to cancel, or 10 days for non-payment.
• A nonrenewal requires 45 days’ notice with the reason stated.
• If the company cancels, it has to return 100% of the unused premium within 15 days.
• If you cancel mid-term, the company may keep 10% of the unused premium. Active-duty military members get a full refund.
• You generally can’t cancel in the first 60 days unless the vehicle is destroyed or sold, or you’ve bought replacement coverage.

More in Can I Switch Insurance Companies Before My Policy Expires?

Honesty on the application

The Department of Financial Services warns that if an application contains incorrect or incomplete information, the company may rescind the policy after an accident, refund the premium, and deny the claim. Misrepresentation on an application can also be charged as a crime. List every driver and every household member, and describe how the car is really used.

Common questions

Insurance companies don’t all follow the same rules or charge the same prices, and both change over time. Ask me what applies to you.

Official sources

• Florida Department of Financial Services: personal auto insurance overview
• Florida Department of Financial Services: auto insurance questions
• Florida Statute 324.023: financial responsibility after a DUI

Keep reading

• What Does “Full Coverage” Really Mean?
• Florida Car Insurance Requirements
• Can I Switch Insurance Companies Before My Policy Expires?
• Florida auto insurance

Related coverage: auto insurance and motorcycle insurance.

Chris Chase
Licensed Florida insurance broker · FL License #G193830 · NPN 21407586
Last reviewed October 2026

Adding a young driver is one of the biggest changes a family’s car insurance goes through. It’s also where I see the most avoidable mistakes, usually because nobody explained the rules ahead of time.

There are three points to plan for: before the permit, at the license, and when they leave for school.

Before they drive: list everyone in the house

Insurance applications ask about everyone who lives in your household, and many companies want household members listed well before driving age, starting around 14 or 15. Some also ask about children who don’t live with you full time.

This isn’t a trick to charge you more. A person who is listed but not yet driving usually isn’t rated. The point is that the company knows who’s in the house. Leaving someone off is where problems start, because the Florida Department of Financial Services warns that incorrect or incomplete information on an application can let a company rescind coverage after a claim.

The learner’s permit

With many companies, a teen with a permit doesn’t change your price until they’re licensed. Some don’t charge for a single child under 19 with a permit. That isn’t true everywhere: a few companies rate a permit driver right away.

Either way, tell me as soon as your teen gets a permit. An unlisted permit holder may be treated as an undisclosed driver, and that can put a claim at risk. One phone call fixes it.

When they get licensed

Expect the rate to change. This is the point where shopping matters most, because companies price young drivers very differently. Some rate a newly licensed teen immediately. Some wait until the next renewal after a certain birthday.

Decide which car the teen will mostly drive and tell me. Most companies assign drivers to vehicles, and putting a new driver on the newest, most expensive car in the household is the costly way to do it.

Discounts that help

• Good student. The Department of Financial Services describes it as maintaining a B average or better. Depending on the company it can apply up to age 24 or 25, and some accept test scores for homeschooled students. Keep a current report card or transcript handy.
• Student away at school. If your child is at college without a car, usually more than 100 miles away, many companies give a discount. Some define it as a student who only drives occasionally on visits home.
• A teen on a long-standing policy. Some companies give a discount for a licensed child once the family’s policy has been in force for a couple of years.

More in Car Insurance Discounts Worth Asking About.

Birthdays matter

Rates change with age. With some companies, if a young driver has a birthday shortly after a policy starts, they’re rated at the age that gives the higher price for that term. It’s worth mentioning birth dates when I quote so I can look at the timing.

A teen usually can’t hold the policy

A minor generally can’t be the person the policy is written for. Most companies set the minimum at 18, and a parent has to apply. That’s true even when the teen has their own car, which is usually added to the family’s policy.

Students away at school

Two different things can happen here. A student away without a car can earn a discount. A student who takes a car to school is a different matter: some companies won’t cover a vehicle kept at a school outside Florida, or more than a certain distance away. Tell me where the car will be.

When they move out

A child who moves out of the household and gets their own car generally needs their own policy. When that happens, their prior insurance on your policy usually counts toward a better price on theirs, so keep the records.

New adult drivers

It isn’t only teens. An adult who was licensed recently may have fewer choices or a higher price for the first few years. Some companies won’t write an adult with less than a year of driving experience, and some add a charge until a driver has about three years. Higher liability limits can also require a certain amount of experience.

Rules that protect you from surprises

• Excluding a driver has consequences. You can sometimes exclude a household member from the policy to lower the price. If that person then drives your car, there’s no coverage. Some companies charge extra for an exclusion or limit how many you can have.
• An unlisted driver’s accident can land on your record. If someone not on your policy has an accident in your car, it can be charged to you.
• Keep proof of not-at-fault accidents. Many companies treat an accident as at fault until they see otherwise, and a new driver’s record is already expensive.

Common questions

Rules, prices, and discounts differ from one insurance company to the next and change over time. I’ll tell you what applies to the options I find for you.

Official sources

• Florida Department of Financial Services: personal auto insurance overview
• Florida Department of Financial Services: auto insurance questions
• Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles: insurance requirements

Keep reading

• Car Insurance Discounts Worth Asking About
• How to Lower Car Insurance Costs
• Florida Car Insurance Requirements
• Florida auto insurance

Related coverage: auto insurance and motorcycle insurance.

Chris Chase
Licensed Florida insurance broker · FL License #G193830 · NPN 21407586
Last reviewed October 2026

If the state or a court told you that you need an SR-22 or an FR-44, you’re not shopping for a special kind of insurance. You’re shopping for a regular auto policy that comes with a form filed with the state.

The filing does change which companies will write the policy and how it has to be set up. Here’s what to expect.

What each filing is

• SR-22. Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles describes it as an insurance filing certifying that you carry bodily injury and property damage liability, in order to meet the requirements for getting your license reinstated.
• FR-44. This is the filing Florida requires after a DUI conviction. It certifies much higher liability limits.

In both cases the insurance company sends the form to the state for you. You don’t file it yourself.

What the FR-44 requires

Florida Statute 324.023 sets the limits for a driver found guilty of DUI:

• $100,000 for bodily injury to, or death of, one person in a crash
• $300,000 for bodily injury to, or death of, two or more people in a crash
• $50,000 for property damage

Those limits have to be carried for at least three years. For comparison, the coverage Florida requires of most drivers is $10,000 of Personal Injury Protection and $10,000 of Property Damage Liability. That difference is why an FR-44 policy costs more than a minimum policy.

Have your case number ready

Your case number is on the paperwork from the court or from Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The insurance company uses it for the filing, and it tells me which kind of filing you need.

Not every SR-22 is the same. Some cases only call for the basic required coverage, without injury liability. Those policies typically have to run six months, be paid in full, and can’t be cancelled during that time. Bring the paperwork, or read me the case number, and I’ll sort out which one applies.

Rules that catch people off guard

• Paying in full. An FR-44 policy is commonly paid in full up front, so plan for that.
• The driver with the filing stays on the policy. That person can’t be excluded to lower the price, and some companies won’t allow any excluded drivers on a policy with a filing.
• All your vehicles. You may be asked to put every vehicle you own on the policy.
• Who the filing is for. Some companies will only file for the person the policy is written for, or their spouse. A filing for an adult child or another driver in the house narrows the options.
• Other states. If your filing is for another state, tell me up front. Some companies file only in Florida.
• Limits can be capped. Some companies limit how high your liability limits can go when there’s a filing.
• Discounts can change. With some companies the pay-in-full discount doesn’t apply when there’s a filing.

If you don’t own a car

You can still be required to carry a filing. A named non-owner policy covers you when you drive a vehicle you don’t own, and it can carry the filing. Not every company offers one, and it isn’t meant for someone who has regular use of a car in the household.

How long it lasts

For an FR-44, the statute requires the higher limits for a minimum of three years. For an SR-22, the length depends on your case. I handle the insurance side. Your notice from the state, the court, or your attorney is the place to confirm how long yours has to stay in place.

Whatever the period is, keep the policy active for all of it. If it cancels, the insurance company notifies the state.

What it costs

There’s no single price. The limits are higher, and the reason for the filing is part of your record. For context, here are averages from auto insurance quotes in the area over the past 36 months, across all kinds of drivers:

Most of those quotes carried Florida’s lower liability limits, so expect an FR-44 policy to come in higher. These are averages of past quotes, not an offer. The best thing you can do is have it shopped.

Where my role ends

I handle the insurance. Questions about your license, your case, reinstatement fees, or how long the filing must stay in place go to the state, the court, or your attorney.

Why having it shopped matters more with a filing

A filing shrinks the list of companies that will write your policy. Some don’t accept an FR-44 at all, some only accept an SR-22, and some need an underwriter to approve the policy first. The ones that remain don’t price a filing the same way.

That’s the part I do for you. I check which of the insurance companies available to me will write your situation, compare what they offer, and explain the differences in plain terms. I can’t promise approval or a particular price, but you’ll know your real options instead of guessing.

Common questions

Requirements can change, and companies handle filings differently. Confirm your own requirement with Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and I’ll tell you what applies to the options I find.

Official sources

• Florida Statute 324.023: financial responsibility after a DUI
• Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles: insurance requirements

Keep reading

• Florida Car Insurance Requirements
• What You Need for an Insurance Quote
• Car Insurance Rules That Surprise People
• Florida auto insurance

Related coverage: auto insurance and motorcycle insurance.

Chris Chase
Licensed Florida insurance broker · FL License #G193830 · NPN 21407586
Last reviewed October 2026

Most people know about the safe-driver discount. Fewer know how many others exist, or how easy some are to miss.

I check these when I quote, but it helps to know what to mention. A discount nobody knows you qualify for is a discount you don’t get.

Timing discounts

Quote early

Many insurance companies give a discount for shopping ahead of time instead of the day you need coverage. The cut-off varies a lot: some want a day’s notice, some two days, some more than a week. Some also track the date of your first quote, so the clock doesn’t reset just because you came back later.

If your renewal is coming up, start a few weeks out. It costs nothing and it’s one of the more common discounts.

Pay in full

Paying the whole term up front almost always costs less than paying monthly. In area quotes over the past 36 months, the pay-in-full discount was typically about 15% where one was shown. Paying up front isn’t for everyone, but ask what the difference is in dollars before you decide.

Discounts for what you already have

• Home and auto with the same agency. With some companies the home policy doesn’t even have to be with the same insurance company, as long as it’s written through the same agency.
• Staying with your agency. Some companies give a discount when your prior policy was written by the same agency with no lapse.
• Owning your home. Homeowners often pay less for car insurance. Some companies count a mobile home as owning a home, and some don’t.
• Continuous coverage. Showing that you’ve been insured without a gap is one of the biggest factors in your price.

Discounts for students and young drivers

• Good student. The Florida Department of Financial Services describes it as maintaining a B average or better. Depending on the company it can apply into the early or mid twenties, and some accept test scores for homeschooled students.
• Student away at school. If your child is at college without a car, usually more than 100 miles away, you may get a break.
• Teen on a long-standing policy. Some companies give a discount for a young licensed driver once the family’s policy has been in force for a couple of years.

More on young drivers in Insuring Teen, Permit, and New Drivers.

Discounts for who you are and what you do

• Your occupation. The Department of Financial Services lists teachers, nurses, accountants, and military as examples of occupations that can earn a discount.
• Military and first responders.
• Commercial driver license holders.
• Being married. The Department notes that married drivers generally pay less than single drivers.
• Driving less. Lower annual mileage can lower your rate.
• Memberships. Certain auto clubs and associations qualify with some companies.

Discounts for how you do business

• Signing electronically.
• Using the company’s mobile app.
• Going paperless.

These are small, but they stack with the others.

Discounts for your vehicle

• Electric vehicles earn a discount with some companies. Others don’t accept them at all, so it pays to check before you buy.
• Limited comprehensive. Some companies offer a narrower version of comprehensive that covers only fire, total theft, and glass, at a lower price.

How discounts get lost

This is the part most people don’t hear about until it happens.

• Late proof. If a discount depends on a document, like proof of prior insurance, there’s a deadline. Miss it and the discount can be reduced, or removed for the rest of the term.
• Rewriting with the same company. If your policy cancels and you start a new one with the same company, several companies treat it as having no prior insurance.
• A filing on the policy. With some companies, a required SR-22 or FR-44 filing means the pay-in-full discount no longer applies.
• A small down payment. Some companies add a charge when a new policy starts with less than a set percentage down.
• Unsigned forms. Leaving a form unsigned can change your coverage or your price.

When I ask you for a document, getting it to me quickly is protecting your price.

Why the same discounts produce different prices

Two companies can both offer a homeowner discount and a pay-in-full discount and still be far apart on price. In area quotes over the past 36 months, when one driver got quotes from three or more companies, the highest was typically about 2.2 times the lowest. Discounts help. Comparing companies helps more.

A quick example of how timing changes the price

Picture two neighbors with the same car and the same clean record. One calls three weeks before her renewal, has her current policy in hand, owns her home, and pays the six months up front. The other calls the afternoon his policy cancels, can’t find proof of his old insurance, and pays monthly with the smallest down payment allowed.

Nothing about their driving is different. But she qualifies for the advance-quote discount, the prior-insurance credit, the homeowner discount, and the pay-in-full discount, and he may get none of them. Preparation is most of what separates those two prices.

Common questions

What’s in this article is general. Companies differ on the details and update them often, so I check the specifics when I quote you.

Official sources

• Florida Department of Financial Services: personal auto insurance overview

Keep reading

• How to Lower Car Insurance Costs
• Why Did My Car Insurance Go Up?
• Insuring Teen, Permit, and New Drivers
• Florida auto insurance

Related coverage: auto insurance and motorcycle insurance.

Chris Chase
Licensed Florida insurance broker · FL License #G193830 · NPN 21407586
Last reviewed October 2026

There’s no magic trick, and I can’t promise a specific amount of savings. But there are a handful of things worth checking, and they add up.

I’ve put them in the order I’d work through them with you: the things that cost you nothing in protection first, and the trade-offs last.

1. Have it shopped

Insurance companies price the same driver differently. In area quotes over the past 36 months, when one driver got quotes from three or more companies, the highest was typically about 2.2 times the lowest. The typical gap was about $1,780 over six months.

That’s the whole reason an independent broker exists. I’m not tied to one company, so I compare the ones available to me and show you where you land. If your current company is still the best fit, I’ll tell you that too.

2. Quote early

Many insurance companies give a discount for shopping ahead of time instead of the day you need coverage. The cut-off varies from a day ahead to a week or more. If your renewal is a month out, that’s the right time to call.

3. Ask for every discount that applies

Discounts differ from company to company. These are the ones worth asking about:

• Paying in full. In area quotes, the pay-in-full discount was typically about 15% where one was shown.
• Home and auto with the same agency.
• Owning your home. Some companies count a mobile home and some don’t.
• Good student. The Florida Department of Financial Services describes it as a B average or better, and with some companies it runs into the early twenties.
• Student away at school without a car.
• Your job or service. The Department lists teachers, nurses, accountants, and military among occupations that can earn a discount. Some companies add first responders and commercial drivers.
• Low mileage. The Department notes that driving fewer miles a year can lower your rate.
• Auto club or association membership, electric vehicles, and signing documents electronically.

More detail in Car Insurance Discounts Worth Asking About.

4. Keep your coverage continuous

A gap in coverage costs you twice. Florida requires continuous coverage on a registered vehicle, and Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles says a lapse can lead to a suspended license and registration with a reinstatement fee of up to $500. On top of that, most companies charge more when you can’t show prior insurance, and several won’t count a policy you cancelled and restarted with them.

If you’re selling a car or taking it off the road, turn in the license plate before you cancel the insurance.

5. Send your paperwork on time

Proof of prior insurance, a signed form, a photo of the vehicle. When a company asks for something, it usually has a deadline, and a discount can be reduced or removed if you miss it. It’s the least exciting way to keep your price down and one of the most reliable.

6. Look at your deductibles

Your deductible is what you pay out of pocket on a collision or comprehensive claim before the insurance company pays the rest. Companies commonly offer choices from $100 up to $1,000 or more. A higher deductible lowers the premium. Only pick one you could pay tomorrow without borrowing.

7. Review coverage on older cars

Collision and comprehensive pay up to the value of the car. On an older car that isn’t worth much, the premium may not make sense anymore. Some companies also offer a limited version of comprehensive that covers only fire, total theft, and glass at a lower price. If you have a loan or lease, the lender decides what you have to carry.

This is what the difference has looked like in area quotes over the past 36 months, for one vehicle and six months of coverage:

These are averages of past quotes, not an offer.

8. Keep your record clean, and keep your proof

Tickets and at-fault accidents follow you for years. Two habits help. First, if you’re in an accident that wasn’t your fault, keep the police report, because many companies treat an accident as your fault until they see proof. Second, think before using roadside assistance through your policy for something small. With some companies those calls affect your rate.

What not to cut

Florida’s required coverage is low: $10,000 of Personal Injury Protection and $10,000 of Property Damage Liability. Neither pays for injuries you cause to someone else. Bodily Injury Liability does that, and the Department of Financial Services describes it as paying when you’re legally liable for someone’s serious injury or death, including a lawyer to defend you.

Dropping it saves money until the day you need it. Before you cut anything, read Florida Car Insurance Requirements and What Does “Full Coverage” Really Mean?

Common questions

Every insurance company has its own rules and prices, and they change. I’ll tell you what applies to the options I find for you.

Official sources

• Florida Department of Financial Services: personal auto insurance overview
• Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles: insurance requirements

Keep reading

• Why Did My Car Insurance Go Up?
• Car Insurance Discounts Worth Asking About
• What Does “Full Coverage” Really Mean?
• Florida auto insurance

Related coverage: auto insurance and motorcycle insurance.

Chris Chase
Licensed Florida insurance broker · FL License #G193830 · NPN 21407586
Last reviewed October 2026

You didn’t get a ticket. You didn’t have an accident. Your renewal still went up. It’s one of the most common calls I get, and it’s a fair question.

There usually is a reason, even when nobody tells you what it is. This article walks through the ones I see most often, so you can look at your own renewal and work out which one applies.

Start with the renewal notice

Before anything else, put this year’s declarations page next to last year’s. That page lists every driver, every vehicle, each coverage, each limit, and each discount. Most increases can be traced to a line that changed. If you can’t find last year’s, call me and I’ll go through the new one with you.

Florida gives you some time to react. The Florida Department of Financial Services says an insurance company has to give you 45 days’ notice before it nonrenews an auto policy, and has to state the reason. A renewal offer at a higher price isn’t a nonrenewal, but the same window is a good time to shop.

Something on your policy changed

• A discount dropped off. Some discounts depend on paperwork, like proof of your prior insurance. If the proof arrives late, the discount can be reduced or removed.
• A driver was added or aged into a new bracket. A teen who gets licensed changes the price. So does a young driver’s birthday, in either direction.
• A vehicle changed. A newer or more valuable vehicle costs more to insure, and adding collision and comprehensive raises the price.
• Your address changed. Where the car is kept overnight is part of the price. Some companies also charge more when the garaging ZIP code and mailing ZIP code don’t match.
• You changed how you pay. Moving from paid-in-full to monthly usually costs more. In area quotes, the pay-in-full discount was typically about 15% where one was shown.

Something on your record showed up

The Department of Financial Services explains that a complete driving record isn’t always available when a policy is first written. The first price is based on what you told the company. Once a ticket or accident is confirmed, the price is adjusted, and that can happen after the policy starts.

• Tickets count from the day they happened, not the day you went to court or paid the fine. A ticket from last year can land on this year’s renewal.
• Accidents are treated as your fault until you show otherwise. If you weren’t at fault, keep the police report or a letter from the other insurance company and send it in.
• Someone else driving your car. If a person who isn’t listed on your policy has an accident in your car, it can be charged to your record.
• Points add up. Many companies have a limit on the number of points a driver or a household can carry.

Claims you may not think of as claims

• Injury claims under your own policy. A Personal Injury Protection claim can count against you even when the accident wasn’t your fault. Several companies limit how many they’ll accept in a three-year period.
• Roadside and towing calls. With some companies, these show up in your rating for years.
• Small claims. A few companies forgive a first small claim. Many don’t.

You started over with the same company

This one surprises people. If your policy cancels and you start a new one with the same company, several companies treat that as having no prior insurance, and you lose the credit for continuous coverage. A lapse also has consequences with the state: Florida requires continuous coverage on a registered vehicle, and a lapse can lead to a suspended license and registration. If money is tight, call before the policy cancels. There may be a better option than letting it lapse.

Sometimes it isn’t about you

Insurance companies change their prices, and when they do, the change reaches you at renewal. Nothing about you has to change for that to happen. This is where shopping matters most, because companies don’t all change their prices at the same time or by the same amount.

Common questions

Rules, prices, and discounts differ from one insurance company to the next and change over time. I’ll tell you what applies to the options I find for you.

Official sources

• Florida Department of Financial Services: personal auto insurance overview
• Florida Department of Financial Services: auto insurance questions
• Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles: insurance requirements

Keep reading

• How to Lower Car Insurance Costs
• Car Insurance Discounts Worth Asking About
• Can I Switch Insurance Companies Before My Policy Expires?
• Florida auto insurance

Related coverage: auto insurance and motorcycle insurance.

Chris Chase
Licensed Florida insurance broker · FL License #G193830 · NPN 21407586
Last reviewed October 2026

One of the most common questions I get, especially from people moving to Florida, is what coverage the state actually requires and what’s optional.

The short answer is that Florida’s minimum is low compared with what a serious accident costs. Below: what the law requires, what it leaves out, and when the rules get stricter.

What Florida requires

According to Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), before you can register a vehicle with at least four wheels you have to show proof of two coverages:

• $10,000 of Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
• $10,000 of Property Damage Liability (PDL)

The policy has to be issued by an insurance company licensed in Florida. Coverage has to be continuous for as long as the vehicle is registered, even if it isn’t being driven or doesn’t run.

What Personal Injury Protection pays

PIP is your own coverage. It pays regardless of who caused the crash. Under Florida law it covers:

• 80% of reasonable medical expenses, up to the $10,000 limit.
• 60% of lost income if the injury keeps you from working, within the same $10,000 limit.
• A $5,000 death benefit.

Two details matter a lot. First, you have to get initial medical care within 14 days of the accident for the medical benefit to apply. Second, the full $10,000 is available only when a provider determines you had an emergency medical condition. If not, the medical benefit is limited to $2,500.

PIP covers you, relatives who live with you, people driving your car, passengers, and pedestrians struck by it. It doesn’t pay for the other 20% of your medical bills, and it doesn’t pay for anyone you injure.

What Property Damage Liability pays

PDL pays for damage you, or someone driving your car, cause to another person’s property: their car, a fence, a building. It doesn’t pay to fix your own car. The required limit is $10,000, and the Department of Financial Services notes it includes legal representation if you’re sued.

What the minimum leaves out

The minimum keeps you legal. It doesn’t necessarily protect you. These are the main coverages it doesn’t include, as the Florida Department of Financial Services describes them:

• Bodily Injury Liability pays when you’re legally liable for someone else’s serious injury or death, and includes a lawyer to defend you.
• Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist protects you when the driver who hit you has no liability coverage or not enough.
• Medical Payments helps with reasonable medical and funeral expenses regardless of fault.
• Collision pays to repair or replace your vehicle after a crash.
• Comprehensive covers things like theft, fire, wind, vandalism, flood, falling objects, and hitting an animal.

Without Bodily Injury Liability, an injured person can come after you personally. More in What Does “Full Coverage” Really Mean?

When Florida requires more

• After a DUI conviction. Florida law requires liability limits of $100,000 per person and $300,000 per crash for injuries, plus $50,000 for property damage, carried for at least three years. This is the FR-44. See SR-22 and FR-44 in Florida.
• When you owe an SR-22. FLHSMV describes the SR-22 as a filing that certifies you carry bodily injury and property damage liability in order to get your license reinstated.
• When you lease. A lease typically requires $100,000/$300,000 of injury liability and $50,000 of property damage.
• When you finance. Your lender sets its own requirements for physical damage coverage on the car.
• Taxis have much higher required limits.

If your coverage lapses

FLHSMV is direct about this. If you don’t keep the required coverage for the whole registration period, your driver license and license plate can be suspended for up to three years. Getting them back can cost a reinstatement fee of up to $500. There’s no temporary or hardship license for an insurance suspension.

If you’re getting rid of a vehicle or taking it off the road, turn in the license plate at a driver license office or tax collector’s office before you cancel the insurance.

Moving to Florida

You need a Florida policy to register a vehicle here. FLHSMV says a non-resident has to get a Florida registration and plate, with a Florida policy, within 10 days of starting a job in Florida or enrolling children in a Florida public school. If you’re keeping the same insurance company, FLHSMV notes you can ask your agent to transfer the policy to Florida.

Bring your current policy when you call me. Your prior insurance usually counts toward a better price, and some companies treat certain out-of-state licenses differently.

Moving out of Florida

Don’t cancel your Florida insurance until the vehicle is registered in the new state, or you’ve turned in the Florida plate. Otherwise the state sees a registered vehicle with no insurance.

Common questions

Laws change. Check the official sources below for the current rules, and call me if you’d like help applying them to your situation.

Official sources

• Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles: insurance requirements
• Florida Statute 627.736: personal injury protection benefits
• Florida Statute 324.023: financial responsibility after a DUI
• Florida Department of Financial Services: personal auto insurance overview

Keep reading

• What Does “Full Coverage” Really Mean?
• SR-22 and FR-44 in Florida: What to Know Before You Call
• Can I Switch Insurance Companies Before My Policy Expires?
• Florida auto insurance

Related coverage: auto insurance and motorcycle insurance.

Chris Chase
Licensed Florida insurance broker · FL License #G193830 · NPN 21407586
Last reviewed October 2026

People ask for “full coverage” all the time. The catch is that it isn’t an official insurance term. The Florida Department of Financial Services specifically warns shoppers to avoid ambiguous terms like it.

What matters is the list of coverages on your policy, the limit on each, and the deductible. Let’s read through that list.

What people usually mean

Most of the time, “full coverage” means a policy with liability coverage plus the two coverages that protect your own car: collision and comprehensive. In Florida the policy also carries the coverages the state requires. See Florida Car Insurance Requirements.

The coverages, one by one

These descriptions follow the Florida Department of Financial Services.

• Bodily Injury Liability pays when you’re legally liable for someone else’s serious injury or death, and includes a lawyer to defend you.
• Property Damage Liability pays for damage you cause to other people’s property.
• Personal Injury Protection pays 80% of your necessary medical expenses and 60% of lost income, up to the limit, no matter who was at fault.
• Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist protects you when the at-fault driver doesn’t have enough liability coverage.
• Medical Payments helps with reasonable medical and funeral expenses regardless of fault.
• Collision pays to repair your vehicle if it hits another vehicle or an object, or flips over. If it’s totaled, it pays up to the vehicle’s actual cash value.
• Comprehensive covers theft, fire, wind, vandalism, flood, falling objects, and hitting an animal.
• Towing and labor pays for emergency roadside service up to a limit.
• Rental reimbursement pays for a rental while your car is being repaired after a covered loss.

What “full coverage” may not include

Everything in the second half of that list is usually optional. A policy can have collision and comprehensive and still have no uninsured motorist coverage, no rental, and no towing. That’s why two “full coverage” quotes can be hundreds of dollars apart and not be the same thing.

Limits and deductibles matter as much as the names

A limit is the most the policy pays. A deductible is what you pay first on a collision or comprehensive claim. A policy with $10,000 of injury liability and a $1,000 deductible is a very different product from one with $100,000 and a $250 deductible, even though both get called full coverage.

Higher liability limits aren’t always available to everyone. Some companies only offer them to drivers with a clean record or a certain amount of driving experience.

Fine print on collision and comprehensive

• Vehicle age. Many companies stop offering collision and comprehensive once a vehicle reaches a certain age, often around 20 years.
• Custom equipment. Wheels, stereos, wraps, and lift kits are usually covered only up to a small built-in amount unless you add more. Keep receipts and photos.
• Original manufacturer parts. Coverage that pays for original parts is typically offered only on newer vehicles.
• Gap and new-car replacement. These often have to be added within about a month of buying the car.
• Rental cars. Your own collision and comprehensive doesn’t carry over to a rental with every company. Ask before you decline the rental company’s coverage.
• Rebuilt or salvage titles. Some companies offer liability only on these.

When your car is totaled

The Department of Financial Services explains that when the repair estimate reaches 80% of the vehicle’s value, the insurance company will declare it a total loss. You can’t stop that. The company pays the vehicle’s value, not what you owe on the loan, which is the gap that gap coverage exists to fill.

If you have a loan or lease

Your lender or leasing company decides what you have to carry on the vehicle itself. A lease typically also requires liability limits of $100,000/$300,000 for injuries and $50,000 for property damage. Some companies require injury liability on the policy before they’ll list a lender at all.

Photos before coverage starts

In seven Florida counties, including Hillsborough and Pinellas, a vehicle has to be inspected before collision and comprehensive can begin. That usually means sending photos. A brand-new car with a dealer bill of sale is typically exempt.

Don’t wait for a storm

When a hurricane or tropical storm watch is issued, insurance companies generally stop writing new collision and comprehensive coverage until it passes. If you’ve been meaning to add it, do it before storm season.

What it costs

Averages from auto insurance quotes in the area over the past 36 months, for six months of coverage on one vehicle:

These are averages of past quotes, not an offer. Your vehicle, record, and limits decide your price.

How to check your own policy

Look at the declarations page. It lists each coverage, the limit, and the deductible. If a coverage isn’t listed, you don’t have it. If any of it doesn’t make sense, call me and I’ll walk through it with you.

Common questions

Insurance companies don’t all follow the same rules or charge the same prices, and both change over time. Ask me what applies to you.

Official sources

• Florida Department of Financial Services: personal auto insurance overview
• Florida Department of Financial Services: auto insurance questions
• Florida Statute 627.736: personal injury protection benefits

Keep reading

• Florida Car Insurance Requirements
• How to Lower Car Insurance Costs
• Car Insurance Rules That Surprise People
• Florida auto insurance

Related coverage: auto insurance and motorcycle insurance.